Updates: Federer, Millman Locked Deep In Fifth Set

John Millman is level with six-time former champion Roger Federer at 6-4, 6-7(2), 4-6, 6-4 on Friday night at the Australian Open. Federer is bidding to become the first man to record 100 match wins at Melbourne Park.

World No. 47 Millman, who beat Federer 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) in the 2018 US Open fourth round, has matched third seed Federer off the ground and played nerve-free tennis on Rod Laver Arena. Federer’s 38-3 record against players at their home Grand Slam championship is being severely tested.

[LISTEN AO]

Millman, who prides himself in being one of the fittest players on the ATP Tour, started in confident fashion, holding serve to love and trading powerful groundstrokes with Federer, who lost his serve in the fourth game when Millman hit a backhand approach winner. Millman consolidated the break for a 4-1 lead by recovering from 0/30 and saving one break point, but got caught on the run by Federer when serving for the set at 5-3. In the next game, errors from Federer handed Millman the 32-minute opener.

Federer said he’d need three matches to start playing his best tennis and the Swiss started to fire in the second set, testing Millman on serve with deeper returns but could not convert his lone break point at 5-5, 30/40. Federer stepped up at 3/1 in the tie-break, seizing control with a big forehand that left Millman scrambling and rushed the net at 6/2 to strike an athletic backhand volley winner.

There was little to choose between the pair in the third set, but Millman gave Federer a look at 4-5, when he hit a double fault at Deuce, only to slam the door with an ace down the middle. Federer, now rushing the net and putting Millman deep behind the baseline, weathered an aggressive barrage and clinched the 45-minute third set when Millman over-hit a backhand.

Millman refused to give in and in the seventh game of the third set, chased down deep groundstrokes at 30/40 to force a forehand error from Federer and a 4-3 advantage. Unlike the first set, when Millman was broken when serving at 5-3, the 30-year-old didn’t make the same mistake, striking four powerful first serves into court for a cool love hold.

When Federer overhit a mid-court forehand long to give Millman a 2-1 lead in the decider another upset was on the cards.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/36qTJ6G